Bareilly Ki Barfi is an upcoming Bollywood rom-com, starring Kriti Sanon, Ayushmann Khurrana, and Rajkummar Rao in lead roles. The film is directed by ‘Nil Battey Sannata’ fame Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, and produced by Nitesh Tiwari and Shreyas Jain. The movie revolves around the Mishra family, who are in search for a suitable groom for their daughter, played by Sanon. The complexities and pressure of getting married is too much for Bitti, Sanon’s character, and she decides to run away. On the run, she finds a book, ‘Bareilly Ki Barfi’ at the train station, and picks it up, only to realise that the female protagonist thinks a lot like her! Thus she embarks on a quest to look for this someone who thinks so much like her. The story seems very content-driven, but that’s not to stop it from having some good music; in fact, most content-driven films have better music than others! Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s first film, ‘Nil Battey Sannata’, had an awesome album completely composed by a newcomer duo, Rohan-Vinayak. This time, the makers go for the multicomposer route. Tanishk Bagchi, Tanishk-Vayu, Arko Pravo Mukherjee, Samira Koppikar and Sameer Uddin are composing the music for this film. As I am expecting an overall good album, and since every name is a known name (even Sameer Uddin, who is the one who had done those remixes in ‘Bluffmaster’ long ago) I don’t think I need to say what I expect from each of them individually! So let’s help ourselves to this ‘Barfi’!

1. Sweety Tera Drama

An aptly U.P. flavoured start to the album, the first song is a fun and upbeat dance number, along the lines of ‘Badrinath Ki Dulhania’s title song. Coincidentally, the man behind it is Tanishk, the composer of that song. The composition is very fun and enjoyable, and the composer has kept it relevantly short; such songs are least enjoyable if they ramble on for four minutes and longer. The shortness gives it a crisp feel, and leaves you wanting more. There is one mukhda and one antara, both composed entertainingly. The arrangements too resemble those of ‘Badrinath Ki Dulhania’ title song, with the dholaks (Naveen Sharma), harmoniums and bulbultarang (Pradip Pandit) and quirky digital beats. The star music is amazing, especially that sarangi bit by Sangeet, that is so easy to miss! Tanishk adds very fun sound effects like that rap by Pravesh Mallick, then a random but funny “Myujik” that just plays anytime. His digital instrumentation is fun as well. The song has been sung by three singers and the rapper. The rapper, as stated before, brings out the U.P. flavour very well, and begins on a promising note. Dev Negi is his usual fun self, while Pawni and Shraddha, the two female vocalists, with two lines each, make a difference even with the little scope! Shabbir Ahmed’s lyrics are fun too! A fun dance number that strives to be simple but sweet!

Arko steps forth to present his song, and as is the requisite whenever Arko composes for a multicomposer album nowadays, he gets to do the romantic song of the album. Well, since he is so good at making these, it seems logical. This song here, is yet another example of his romantic song composing skills. The composition is charming, but there is one small drawback, and that is that it takes a long time to grow. It consists of many twists and turns, and isn’t instantly hooking like most of his other songs. The second antara is particularly beautiful. The hookline manages to get the audience charmed. The lyrics though, are beautiful, and are another instance of how beautiful Arko himself writes!! The song appears in three versions, though, and one does feel that it is one too many. Arko doesn’t sing this song as well as he sang ‘Kaari Kaari’ (Dobaara), ‘Dariya’ (Baar Baar Dekho) or ‘Saathi Rey’ (Kapoor & Sons), and thus, his version comes across as slightly boring. The arrangements in this version also resemble ‘Tere Sang Yaara’ (Rustom) with those extra sugary Duff rhythms and synthesizer tune (Keys by Aditya Dev). It reduces the likability a bit. Ayushmann increases the ear-friendliness of the song with his trademark charming voice, and renders it with ease. His style of rounding the vowels makes the song sound so much like he has composed it himself. The variations he takes on many notes, which Arko had not, makes the song sound more layered. The arrangements too, get more Ayushmann-ish, with acoustic guitars (Krishna Pradhan), but the Arko-ness is retained with the amazing piano notes. Thankfully, the Duff rhythms are done away with. The last version happens to be a female version; a version I personally feel was least required. So Zee Music releases videos of singers singing covers of hit songs, and I almost know that this version will be used as that. Not to take it away from Sumedha though; she sings beautifully! Arko arranges this one with a soothing flute, but nothing else really stands out! A romantic song that features so many times, we have no choice but to love it!

Rating: 4/5 for Arko’s Version, 4.5/5 for Ayushmann’s Version, 3.5/5 for Sumedha’s Version

3. Twist Kamariya

The next song has Tanishk coming back together with his partner with which he debuted, Vayu. They keep coming back together occasionally, and it is quite fun. Though their last song ‘Beat It Bijuriya’ could’ve been better, this one is a real treat. The composition is very simple, and if it were not for the amazingly quirky beats and arrangements, the song would not have sounded half as good. Of course, a very templated dhol rhythm accompanies the song, but a very quirky digital sound also comes along with that and everything sounds so innovative. The interlude is amazing, with the dhols and shehnaai. Rock guitars are really electrifying in the antara. The hookline, the way it is sung, is so cool. The pause between ‘Twist’ and ‘Kamariya’ really makes the difference. Im probably hearing Harshdeep Kaur in this zany avatar for the first time. I mean, she has sung upbeat numbers, but not so crazily funny! Tanishk-Vayu’s lyrics are a clever mix of Bhojpuri and Hindi and English. A song that calls for loud whistles and cheers in the theatre! U.P. folk meets techno music!

Rating: 4/5

4. Bairaagi / Bairaagi (Samira Koppikar Version)

Samira Koppikar, who really pleasantly surprised me with her song in ‘Dobaara’ earlier this year, jumps onto the album next, with a melancholic song that is sung by –obviously — Arijit! The song is good, I can’t take that away from it. But somewhere the composition evokes so many memories of previous Arijit songs that were composed on the same rock lounge-ish template. It actually sounds like a Pritam song when that beautiful backing chorus comes in, and that’s probably the best effect of the song. The composition too, is beautiful, and hits the heart straight. I just don’t think I would listen to it a lot. The vocals are, obviously spot-on. What can be expected when it is Arijit? Fortunately, there’s another version, possibly for the music lovers. Samira sings this one, and it starts with a heavenly chorus by her. She sings in beautifully, and is first of all supported by a wonderfully soothing folksy string instrument, evoking memories of ‘Sahiba’ (Phillauri). Later that Punjabi feel is increased, when a nice dholak-led rhythm sets in. This version is definitely better than Arijit’s. The lyrics by Puneet Sharma are aptly romantic and melancholic at the same time. The word ‘bairaag‘ is a word I don’t think I’ve heard in a Bollywood song after ‘Laal Ishq’ (Ram-Leela)! Beautiful song, but might not stay with me for long.

Rating: 3.5/5 for Arijit’s Version, 4/5 for Samira’s Version

5. Badass Babua

A relatively newer addition to the album (as the composer Sameer Uddin wasn’t credited in the trailer or first poster of the film), this one is a funky “gangsta” song, probably made for Rajkummar’s character in the movie. The U.P. vagabond and rowdy feel is brought out with entertaining lyrics rendered with spunk by Abhishek Nailwal and the composer himself. The gangster feels are brought out by the rap, the techno beats and the overbearing sinister tone. The composition is catchy, but again, not a very lasting tune. The arrangements are more of what the song might be remembered for, if at all. The vocals are fine, and obviously the male singers have done an amazing job, or else, it wouldn’t have sounded so much like a gangster song full of attitude. Neha Bhasin is sidelined unfortunately, and reminds me of Ambili’s portions in ‘Hum Hain Bank Chor’ (Bank Chor). Entertaining, but not everlasting.

Rating: 3/5

Bareilly Ki Barfi is a relatively good multicomposer album. I think these days, the quality of multicomposer albums is definitely increasing, because makers now know the formula for it. You obviously need two upbeat numbers to increase the album’s hit status, and of course, a romantic song, a sad song (preferably by Arijit) and then a couple of versions. Zee seems to have mastered the formula, and they produce another album like ‘Behen Hogi Teri’, which is a mix of styles from different composers, yet comes together as a united album. With a mixed variety of songs, these multiple composers have come up with a nice, khatti-meethi Barfi!

Dobaara is an upcoming Bollywood horror film, starring Huma Qureshi, Saqib Saleem, Adil Hussain, Lisa Ray and Rhea Chakraborty in crucial roles. The film has been directed by Prawaal Raman and produced by the director along with Ishaan Saksena, Vikram Khakhar and Sunil Shah. It is an official remake of the 2013 Hollywood horror film ‘Oculus’, which is considered to be one of the scariest movies of all time. So horror films in Bollywood have been very miserably made, with people flying around so pathetically that it looks hilarious. For once, I feel that this is going to be a well-made horror film in Bollywood. Of course, another thing typical of Bollywood horror films is that they have romantic songs. For ‘Dobaara’, the music has been composed by Arko Pravo Mukherjee, Samira Koppikar, D. Wunder and Macks Wolf. Well, I know nothing about the latter two names, so I can’t speak about them, but I am expecting a lot from the first two names — Arko and Samira. Arko has been giving great songs for the whole of the last year and I don’t think he wants to stop now, so expecting good, creative songs from him. Meanwhile, Samira has vanished from composing after her amazing debut more than two years ago, with ‘Maati ka Palang’ (NH10). And she’s back now. Again, expecting a good song from her. So let’s see exactly how haunting the music of ‘Dobaara’ is!

The song with which Arko starts off the album, reassures me yet again, that he is going to give amazing songs for this album. A beautiful, and by beautiful I mean extremely beautiful and more than that too, semiclassical melody is what the album starts with, and Arko can bask in the success of the song as it will reach many a listener’s hearts. The composition is a semiclassical melody that instantly hooks you, and Arko has structured it in a way that Bollywood songs usually aren’t. For example, after the mukhda, there’s a short stanza that doesn’t fall into any category and it goes “Tere jaisa hi dikhta hai, aks tera..” That stanza is bliss! The antara is just as soothing as the mukhda, while the hookline (which is subtly hidden within the Mukhda/antara) is just outstanding. As in all classical tunes, this one has intricate nuances, and the vocalists carry them out well. The song, featuring in two version, gets everything right in both versions. The arrangements are slightly different in each version. The first version has a beautiful, acoustic setting, with the guitar riff sounding mind blowing. Piano starts it off with a wonderful female voice programmed so as to enchant you right at the beginning! But the guitar riff that sets in once the melody starts, is just so simple and down-to-earth, that it is tough to dislike! The slide guitars + snaps combo in the interlude is wonderful as well. The Reprise takes the more classical route, and it starts off in a different way altogether. The guitar riff has been scrapped from this, and replaced by digital beats, along with something sounding like a Chinese xylophone. The arrangements of this one were a major throwback to ‘Ab Tohe Jaane Na Dungi’ (Bajirao Mastani), and how coincident that Payal Dev has sung that one too. This one has an amazing aalaap in the interlude, and it is entrancing. Of course, no Arko song is completed without at least one guitar strum or riff, and he brings the guitar into play in the antara. The vocals are flawless in both versions. Asees in her version, gives her career best performance, and it sends chills down the spine listening to her perfecting each and every note, especially the nuances in the hookline. Payal, on the other hand, gives a more classically-toned rendition, which is probably why I remember the ‘Bajirao Mastani’ song. The thing to note is when she suddenly goes high in one of the hooklines towards the end. That was splendid! Arko, with his deep voice, enters in the antara, but complements the two ladies well in their respective songs. He writes the lyrics as well, and gives an aptly romantic, and soulful piece. A mind-blowing classical-based song, but kept extremely simple, all the better to win hearts with! 💜

The next song by Arko, is highly disappointing. It is supposed to be some kind of sad song, but it barely manages to get the emotion right. The composition is more like a club song where a lady is sitting and singing a song while the main characters are sitting in the bar trying to forget their breakup. The beginning itself is so abrupt and odd, that it is tough to go on trying to like the song. The antara is good compared to the rest of the song, though. The arrangements are mostly digital beats that irritate mostly, and remind one of the songs from the ‘Saansein’ (2016) album. However, there’s a nice portion on strings that is mildly entertaining. Both versions have basically the same arrangements, but they differ in the vocal department. And both singers, I must say, fail to fit the bill here, and both of their renditions turn out to be least satisfying. The first version has Jyotica Tangri trying to be Neha Kakkar again, but even Neha Kakkar wouldn’t have sounded great in this song. Maybe Sonu Kakkar. And in the Alternate Version, newcomer Neha Pandey doesn’t impress at all, unfortunately; she suddenly changes vocal tones and that sounds very weird. And a quite impressive rapid rap by Parry G, who impressed even in ‘Jai Maa’ (Behen Hogi Teri), also features in the second version. I must say he sounds a lot like Yo Yo Honey Singh. The lyrics by Arko, are the saving grace of the song. They are actually good, and deserved a better composition to accompany them! A disaapointment from Arko after that brilliant song.

At first, I thought this song is a remake of the old song ‘Ab Raat Guzarne Waali Hai’ (Awara), because the lyrics of the hook are the same, but it apparently isn’t, because this song has been released by Zee and not Saregama. 😂 Anyway, Samira steps in with her song, and even this song features twice. (The makers are really taking the title ‘Dobaara’ very seriously, huh?) However, I have no complaints with this song featuring twice. The song is a very, very soulful composition that gives you goosebumps. It is songs like this that must be added into horror films and not useless romantic songs. Samira’s composition is haunting to the core, very apt for the situation. The mukhda starts a bit slowly, but as soon as the hookline plays for the first time, you start getting intrigued and immerse yourself into the song. The first antara has an amazing tune, as does the second one, which is more like a Pritam-ish conclusion, rather than an antara. The arrangements by Samira, are yet another example of how to impress with the most used and most clichéd template ever. She employs a very effective soft rock arrangement to the first version, and it provides the required strength to the composition, which would sound sleepy without it. The drums, acoustic guitars and rock guitars complement each other very well, and it provides such a BEAUTIFUL ambience, spellbinding indeed. A Version 2 has been given a more acoustic treatment till the hookline starts, with the Acoustic guitar prominent. However, instead of making it plain and boring with only the guitar, Samira adds in a bit of this and a bit of that to make it sound better. A heart-rending flute has been employed in various places, and especially the interlude’s flute portion is something not to miss. Samira still doesn’t resist to add the drums here either, though. So this version sounds more like a Lounge Version, due to the combination of the flute, acoustic guitars and drums. Vocals are again flawless in both versions, Arijit at his soulful best, and Samira singing in a very different voice than she has in her other songs. She keeps it high-pitched, unlike the low pitch she uses in many of her songs. She has a co-singer named Jonathan Rebeiro, who has given a couple of words here and there as backing vocals. Last but definitely not the least, can we admire the lyrics here? The song is such a soulful song, but behind that tune are the genius words of Puneet Sharma, who writes less frequently, but has written some amazing songs for ‘Revolver Rani’ (2014; also the first album I ever reviewed!!) and songs for albums like ‘Cute Kameena’ (2016), ‘Mr. Joe B. Carvalho’ (2014) and ‘Aurangzeb’ (2013). But here, he gives another amazing piece of writing, which I just instantly fell for. The song is about waiting for the dark times to pass, and as they say, “This too shall pass”. A ravishing song!

Rating: 4.5/5 for Version 1, 5/5 for Version 2

4. Malang

This next song makes me recheck whether I’m actually listening to the ‘Dobaara’ album anymore or not. A generic Punjabi club number on the lines of Dr. Zeus’ songs is what makes up the “grand” finale to this album. The composition is so irritating at places, but catchy in some places. The hookline has the lead female singer bleating like a sheep, “Maiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnn”. That part is so irritating. The arrangements are typical club beats, but they aren’t so engaging. The vocals are execrable, and I’ve given an example up above. The English parts of the song are enjoyable though. But that’s like a “One in a million” good part, to quote the song. The Punjabi parts are so irritating, you forget to like anything else. Lyrics? What lyrics? Appalling.

Rating: 0.5/5

Dobaara is an album that depends on the Reprise versions to propel it. Three out of the four songs have another reprise, so that we hear it again. Thankfully, all these reprises are either better than or equal in comparison with the original songs, so I’m not complaining. Arko strikes gold, and what shiny gold, in the first song of his, but disappoints with the next one. Meanwhile, Samira Koppikar gets her guest composition extremely well, in both versions. Whoever D Wunder & Macks Wolf are, I hope they aren’t looking at Bollywood for a career. An album that gets a much higher rating than it would have, thanks to reprises, which made us hear the songs “dobaara”!

NH10 is an upcoming Bollywood revenge thriller film, directed by Navdeep Singh, produced by Krishika Lulla, Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Sharma, Vikas Bahl, Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap under their respective banners Clean Slate Films(Anushka’s production company) and Phantom (We all know this one). The film stars Anushka Sharma and Neil Bhoopalam in the lead roles, with Darshan Kumar (‘Mary Kom’ fame) in a negative role. The plot revolves around a couple, whose road trip goes amiss, after an encounter with violent criminals on the national highway (which is where the film gets its name). The music of this film was also expected to be very good, because of the mere fact that it is a Phantom production! The music for this film has been given by multiple composers. The first is the duo Sanjeev-Darshan, sons of Shravan Rathod of Nadeem-Shravan, who have just one song. The next is Anirban Chakraborty, who all of you know (or might not know) as Bann. He had composed a beautiful track ‘Mar Jayian’ for ‘Vicky Donor’, and he’s back after three years to compose five songs (technically just one song with four versions) for this album. The third is another pair, Ayush Shrestha & Savera Mehta, newcomers in Bollywood (they have been heard in NH7 Weekender shows), who get two tracks. And the last is the mismatched and unfitting singer of ‘Aaj Phir’ from ‘Hate Story 2’, Samira Koppikar, who also gets just one song. So, all-in-all, it sounds like a musical treat, and a look at the singers just consolidated the idea. So let’s have a look, at how great it actually is!! 🙂

Seeing Kanika Kapoor in the credits, many would be surprised. Given the types of songs she’s been singing up till now, one wonders how one of those songs would fit into this kind of movie. But, listeners are treated to a pleasant surprise, when they actually play the song. Another song on the same lines of ‘Jee Karda’ from ‘Badlapur’, with the avengeful vocals and lyrics, this song also has all it needs to become a superhit song of that particular genre. Sanjeev-Darshan have superbly composed a tune that would radiate emotions of fury and anger, at the same time making it catchy. Also, with this song, Kanika (who is a classical trained singer getting not so classical songs in Bollywood) might just be singing her best song (according to me) and also opened up the gates for many other composers besides Meet Bros. Anjjan and Dr. Zeus to take her as a singer, as they will get encouraged to do so after hearing her brilliant vocals in this track. The tune sounds semi-classical and, if so, it has been very well fused to get a semiclassical rock number which will certainly climb the charts in the coming days. Dipanshu’s short interruptions do call for a round of applause, in their innocent Rajasthani traditional folk-like sound. Rock guitars and drums, naturally, are the most prominent instruments here. The shattering glass sounds also sound great in this “angry” song. In some places, Sanjeev-Darshan have beautifully infused tablas, which certainly is a brilliant idea, and has come out very great-sounding as well! Kumaar’s lyrics are totally apt for the situation. This is one of Sanjeev-Darshan’s best compositions of late, and Kanika’s best song till date, where she gets to showcase her great classical expertise.#5StarHotelSong!!

The piano notes that welcome you into the song, instantly impart a waltzy feel to you, and has you nodding your head to the beats of the waltz. Mohit Chauhan, with his smooth and silky vocals, does complete justice to the composition by Bann, which is smooth and also at places, a bit haunting. Drum cymbals, piano and guitars are prominent throughout the song, but what you really should pay attention to, is the second interlude, with the sitar And tablas, sounding great together, before they are joined by the drums and rock guitars. A sound like chattering of teeth is very clearly heard throughout the song as well, and I just wonder which instrument that is! It gives a whole retro Bollywood 50s-60s feel to the song. Overall, the composition isn’t something to instantly get hooked onto, but something pretty unconventional, something that grows and how! And the best part is that, being unconventional, it still doesn’t come across as heavy to the ears, and would soothe you even if you hear it for the first time, just that you might not like it right away. Even the lyrics, by Bann himself and Abhiruchi Chand with additional lyrics, are unconventional and great! The female version by Shilpa, has the same arrangements (Yes, I mean ditto xerox carbon copy) but it has been sung on a lower pitch, making it seem more haunting than the male version. Shilpa manages her low voice very well, and sounds pretty different from what we’ve heard her singing before this. In no way, is this version better or worse than the male version, but it doesn’t appeal much after you have already heard the male version. The reprise version is by the man whose songs are on the tip of everyone’s tongue nowadays, Arijit Singh! His version is shorter than the other two, and a bit slower-placed as well, but it certainly attracts listeners, because of the variations that he does, and his voice which is perfect for the composition. Only when I heard the version he sung, did I notice the striking resemblance that this song has to ‘Khul Kabhi’ from ‘Haider’. Which made me love his version even more. A Vishal Bhardwaj-ish composition, which doesn’t leap out to you instantly, but grows, and when it does, trust me, you’ll have it on loop for quite a long period of time! The two male versions are highly recommended!#5StarHotelSong!!

It starts off very peppily, promising a peppy and breezy song ahead. And sure enough, what we get, is something so sweet and cheerful. Quite like an Amit Trivedi or Mikey McCleary typical song, Ayush & Savera have clearly worked hard to give us something that is really, really enjoyable and also sweet. The newcomer Nayantara Bhatkal, has really nice vocals which suit the atmosphere of the song, and also engage the listener for the short duration of 2 minutes and 43 seconds. Her voice sounds a lot like Shalmali Kholgade or Saba Azad, without the sharpness. The arrangements by the duo have also been done very nicely and they are very catchy, adding some more cheer to the song. Saxophone and guitars beautifully decorate the great composition. Savera Mehta comes in for a short duration towards the end, and sounds a lot like Nikhil D’Souza. Lyrics by Manoj Tapadia are also sweet and a bit sensuous, and increase the peppiness of the track. They work in favour of the song. Though very short, it has a very gripping tune, arrangements, and Nayantara is spot-on with her vocals!!#5StarHotelSong!!

This song is just yet another version of ‘Le Chal Mujhe’, this time, with Mohit joined by Neeti Mohan, with her husky and raw voice. The waltz feel, though there, has been decreased in this version, and more techno sounds are there to keep the beats. This version is like the jazz version of ‘Le Chal Mujhe’. With the piano notes played in a very jazzy way, it makes for a good fourth listen to the song. Neeti Mohan flows through her part very easily and effortlessly, while Mohit Chauhan dynamically expresses his lines. The guitars and the occasional saxophone impresses as the singers beautifully go about the composition. Slightly better than the solo version by Mohit, this one can easily replace that one, all thanks to the addition of Neeti’s beautiful voice. Here, Bann has written some good lyrics as well, this time without the help of Abhiruchi Chand. Where ‘Le Chal Mujhe’ was about searching for the partner, and therefore haunting, this one is all about getting lost in a wonderful place together, so this one sounds way less haunting than ‘Le Chal Mujhe’. The instrumental version also impresses, surprisingly, with its wonderful saxophone solos standing out amongst the piano and guitars. Wherever the singers had lines in the original version, here the saxophones have replaced them, making it feel all the more jazzy and cool. All other arrangements are the same as the original version (I mean ‘Khoney De’, not ‘Le Chal Mujhe’). Yet another great version of ‘Le Chal Mujhe’, with more jazz factor and less haunt. Both the duet and the instrumental impress!!#5StarHotelSong!!

Okay, so I didn’t know Samira could compose as well, and I didn’t like her voice at all in ‘Aaj Phir’ (Hate Story 2), but I still had hopes from this song, given the greatness this album has slowly revealed to us song by song. And, I got exactly what I expected. Another Indie-music type song, composed and sung beautifully by Samira. A haunting melody it is, with just as haunting and sinister lyrics, beautifully penned by Neeraj Rajawat. Samira, who really didn’t get much scope to showcase this semi-classical side of hers in her previous Bollywood songs, sings the haunting melody with expertise and grace. Surprisingly her composition is very impressive, one that instantly catches on. The arrangements are also pretty impressive, with rock guitars, Sitar, and drums being played together in a single song. Quite a unique combination! The interlude of the sitar is something you have to listen, compulsorily! Neeraj’s lyrics, as I said before, keep the haunting feel to the composition, and also sound very mysterious. Quite an impressive composition by Samira! Hats-off!#5StarHotelSong!!

The duo re-enters with their second song, a soft, slow-paced song, which is kind of hard to understand or grip. Nevertheless, the composition is soothing and the musical arrangements help the listener to like the song. Rachel Varghese sings the song beautifully, in a husky voice kind of like that of Shilpa Rao. The tune is not something that would grab the listener, so the song does lose marks for that there, but the arrangements, vocals and lyrics make up for that small thing. Plus, the tune of this song wasn’t meant to be attractive or very catchy, either, as far as I can gather, going by the lyrics. It is supposed to be a song displaying the sadness of a wife on being separated from her husband. And the lyrics very well make that understood, therefore saving the composers. They’ve composed a very apt song for the situation. Before you know it, the song is over, because it plays at a very slow pace, so most of it is music itself. A song perfect for the situation, but one that will find less listeners and also have less shelf life, so misses the “tag”. But good to give you mental peace!

NH10 is an album with pretty unconventional music, the type that can usually be heard in Indie-music albums. All composers have pitched in their best, and really have made this album one great album. And yes, most of the songs won’t appeal to you instantly, so give them time! They are gems!! The regular performers at NH7 Weekender, come together and give us a beautiful unconventional Bollywood album in the form of “NH10”!!

Hate Story 2 is an upcoming revenge thriller, directed by Vishal Pandya, and produced by Vikram Bhatt. It stars two famous TV anchors in their Bollywood debut, Jay Bhanushali (Best known for being the anchor of ‘Dance India Dance’) and Surveen Chawla (Best known for being the anchor of ‘Comedy Circus Ke Superstars’). The film is the sequel of ‘Hate Story’ which released in 2012. The music of ‘Hate Story’ was a hit, even though it was only three songs, and so there were high expectations from ‘Hate Story 2’ music. The music has been composed by Arko Pravo Mukherjee, Rashid Khan, Meet Bros. Anjjan and Mithoon. Each of them have one song each, and of course, each of the songs have remixes, a specialty of T-Series. So let’s see how each of them score in their one song!

This song is a remake of the old song ‘Aaj Phir Tum Pe’ from ‘Dayavan’. Laxmikant-Pyarelal had composed it and I had never heard of it nor heard it before this. I checked it out on Saavn and found out that the old one wasn’t half as interesting in terms of arrangements and music as the remake! Arko has remade the song very efficiently and has given quite interesting arrangements to the song. Mostly, it is techno elements. The tabla makes a very short entry at places, making the song even more interesting. The saxophone interlude is also a must-listen! The choice of Arijit for this song was obvious, because, come on, no one can deny that after ‘Aashiqui 2’, no T-Series film is complete without an Arijit song! Anyways, he has sung in his deep voice this time, and has sung fabulously, considering that the song is in a very low scale. He has brought life into a practically dead-sounding song (The old version). His partner, Samira Koppikar, however, seems to be an amateur. Well, it is her first song, after all. But she doesn’t at all sound like someone who should be allowed to sing in a T-Series film, but she sounds like someone who should sing in a C-Grade film with newcomer music directors. Instead of her, Shalmali Kholgade would have been a great choice. Arko has written the new lyrics well, too, retaining the romantic nature of the song. A song which is currently topping the charts, and it deserves it! A must-listen and a #5StarHotelSong!

After ‘Soniye’ (Heartless) and ‘Dil Aaj Kal’ (Purani Jeans), K.K.’s third (yeah, I know, only third! 😦 ) romantic song of the year finally arrives in the form of an outdated tune composed by Rashid Khan. K.K.’s voice is refreshing as always. Rashid Khan has composed an old fashioned tune as always. However, when it is K.K., I don’t think that matters. Even though the tune is old-fashioned, it still makes for a very pleasant listen. The song is typical in every way, yet sounds refreshing because of the vocals. The arrangements are also very good. The song starts with mild piano notes, followed by Rashid Khan’s favourite, flute. The guitar riffs in the antaras are just awesome! The lyrics are good, however, one word ‘diary’ in the mukhda just doesn’t fit in well with the rest of the words. It seems weird. The ‘Aye Khuda‘ portion is too heard-before and doesn’t help the song much. The English female chorus also doesn’t impress at all. Though it is a pleasant listen overall, it might get boring after multiple listens. Unless you just want to hear K.K! A K.K. show all the way! Flat tune, but soothing vocals.

Just because ‘Baby Doll’ (Ragini MMS 2) became a huge chartbuster hit, now T-Series has made Meet Bros. Anjjan compose another song like that for this film too. A newcomer Khushboo Grewal has been roped in to sing this song and maybe the trio of Meet Bros. & Anjjan were hoping that it will get immediate hit status like ‘Baby Doll’ if they make a new singer sing it, like what happened to Kanika Kapoor. But sadly, Khushboo doesn’t impress that much with her vocals, nor is the song anywhere close to the former. On top of that, it sounds like she is saying ‘Pin Clips’ instead of ‘Pink Lips’. 😂 The composition is just average, but the arrangements however are awesome. They give a disco-esque feel to the song which sounds good. Anyways, I really hope the song doesn’t gain as much popularity as ‘Baby Doll’ as it is nothing impressive, but who knows what the public might like? It will just prove again how bad the Indian public is in choosing undeserving songs to become superhits and neglecting the deserving ones. Not impressive! Not expected!

Mithoon just loves to make Arijit and Mohammed Irfan sings his compositions! This time Arijit is the lucky one. The song has Mithoon’s mark all over it. Mithoon has composed a haunting melody, which acts as slow poison. It will gradually trick you into getting addicted to it. It bears slight resemblances to ‘Tum Hi Ho’ (Aashiqui 2) and ‘Banjaara’ (Ek Villain), but still rules over your mind while you are listening to it. I just don’t get how Mithoon manages to recycle his songs and still make them work so awesomely! It’s as if his songs themselves have a brain and know what we are thinking about the song being a recycled version of a previous Mithoon song, and then they hypnotize us in thinking that it is a brand new sound, and every time it works! The vocals are also too good. Arijit has rendered it flawlessly! The first time I heard it, I thought I would never hear it again. The fifth time, I suddenly found myself pressing the repeat button on my device! The arrangements and lyrics are fabulous! Again, Mithoon uses simple language and leaves a deep impact. 🙂 A Mithoon trademark song which will not instantly appeal to you, but will surely be on top of your playlist in the coming days!#5StarHotelSong!

Hate Story 2 is a mixed album. It has two great tracks, one underperforming track, and one disappointing track. Both the great songs have Arijit Singh singing them, so it is no surprise why they are the best. The song by Rashid Khan has nothing to offer except the greatness of K.K.’s voice, which can never get boring as such. Meet Bros. Anjjan have strictly disappointed, giving a song which was never expected from them at all, in the negative sense. The prequel had just three songs, all of them being marvellous tunes by Harshit Saxena, who is absent from the Bollywood scene nowadays. In comparison to the prequel, though, this album is a bit underperforming. Mithoon and Arko have performed beautifully, and that’s about it! Though the multi-composer formula worked well in ‘Yaariyan’, here it makes the album fall apart and proves that ‘Too Many Cooks Spoil The Broth’! However, in this case, they don’t generate heat to get the soup cooking, but they generate hate! 😂 Thus, the appetizer and the dessert are delicious, by chefs Arko and Mithoon, while the main course does not tingle the taste buds whatsoever. 😉

Final Rating for This Album:- सा < रे < ग < म< प < ध < नी

Note:- The letter which is underlined is the final rating.

And which is your favourite song from ‘Hate Story 2’? Please vote for it!

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